The present invention relates to a method for system obstacle correspondence support in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units. In the method, when an error message outputted by an information processing unit is received, a command is generated and transmitted in accordance with a method corresponding to the error message.
Conventionally, an information processing unit is provided with a console unit for managing interface between an operator and the information processing unit.
A message showing the operating state of the information processing unit is displayed on the console unit.
The message includes an error message showing error information of the information processing unit.
The operator inputs an appropriate command through the console unit in response to the error message so as to deal with an error.
JP-A-10-312321 discloses a method for supporting such input of a command corresponding to an error message.
According to the method disclosed in JP-A-10-312321, the following method is adopted and intended for a single on-line system. That is, messages outputted every fixed time unit before errors occurred, and operating states of hardware and software constituting the on-line system at the point of time when the errors occurred, are accumulated as cases together with error information and correspondence methods corresponding to the errors; and
when an error occurs, error information generated with the error, messages accumulated until the error occurs, and operating states of the hardware and the software at the point of time when the error occurred, are compared with the respective pieces of information accumulated as cases, and a correspondence method for a case having most agreed information with the error is set as a correspondence method to the occurring error.
In addition, in each correspondence method, a correspondence command and a command for confirming the execution result of the correspondence command are defined for one case.
However, in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units, an error message may occur in one information processing unit because of an event occurring in another information processing unit.
In such a case, an operator has to investigate the cause of the error message from messages of the respective information processing units, and input a command corresponding to the cause.
Moreover, a plurality of commands may be inputted for one error message. In this case, a command to be inputted next may be determined on the basis of an execution result of a command inputted previously.
According to the method disclosed in JP-A-10-312321, in the case of an error message occurring in one information processing unit because of an event occurring in another information processing unit in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units, a command cannot be transmitted to the information processing unit in which the event occurred.
In addition, according to the method disclosed in JP-A-10-312321, a plurality of commands cannot be inputted for one error message on the basis of execution results on the respective commands.
An object of the present invention is to acquire, from all the information processing units, messages required for investigation of the cause of an error message occurring in one information processing unit in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units.
Another object of the present invention is to accumulate information in which messages acquired for investigation of a cause of an error message occurring in an information processing unit are made to correspond to a command inputted to deal with an error in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units, search the accumulated information when a similar event occurs, and explicitly address an obstacle correspondence method to an operator.
A further object of the present invention is to generate, from the accumulated information, a command for dealing with the error message, select an information processing unit as a transmission place of the command, and transmit the command to the information processing unit.
A still further object of the present invention is to accumulate information in which messages acquired for investigation of a cause of an error message occurring in an information processing unit are made to correspond to an execution order and execution conditions of a plurality of commands inputted to deal with an error in an information processing system constituted by a plurality of information processing units, search the accumulated information when a similar event occurs, and execute the commands in accordance with the execution order and the execution conditions of the commands.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for system obstacle correspondence support in a console system having a control unit including a display unit, an input unit, means for acquiring messages from at least one information processing unit, storage means for storing the acquired messages, and a storage unit for storing data for supporting correspondence to an error message indicating an error and acquired from the information processing unit, wherein first data for identifying the error message and second data for identifying a related message related to the error message are included in a part of the data in the storage unit, and a character string constituting the error message is defined as a part of the first data, while a character string constituting a message to be searched as the related message is defined as a part of the second data; and wherein when the character string of the first data is included in an error message acquired from the information processing unit, the second data is selected, a message including the character string of the selected second data is searched from the storage means, and the searched message is set as a related message to the error message.
Further, preferably, a value of the character string constituting the error message and a position of the value of the character string in the error message are defined as a part of the first data, while a value of a character string constituting a message to be searched as the related message and a position of the character string are defined as a part of the second data; the second data is selected when the value of the character string defined in the first data is included in the position of the character string defined in the first data in an error message acquired from the information processing unit; a message in which the value of the character string defined in the second data is included in the position of the character string defined in the second data is searched from the storage means; and the searched message is set as a related message to the error message.
Further, preferably, third data in which the first data is associated with the second data used for searching the related message is accumulated in the storage unit; and when a command inputted from the input unit for an error message and a related message in agreement with the third data includes a character string constituting the error message, the related message, or a reply message to a command inputted previously, a command format in which a portion of the character string included in the command is replaced by information indicating a position of the character string of the error message, the related message or the reply message is accumulated as fourth data in the storage unit.
Further, preferably, when a plurality of commands are inputted for an error message and a related message in agreement with the third data, third data to which information for identifying a reply message to a command inputted previously is added, and fourth data indicating a command following the previously inputted command are accumulated in the storage unit.
Further, preferably, when the error message and the related message to the error message are in agreement with the third data, all of the fourth data corresponding to the third data are selected as correspondence methods to the error message and the related message; and the fourth data selected as the correspondence methods are displayed on the display unit.
Further, preferably, when the third data in which information for identifying the third data used for selecting the fourth data is included as identification information is present, the fourth data corresponding to the third data having the identification information is selected as a correspondence method to be carried out next to the fourth data; and the fourth data selected as the correspondence methods are displayed on the display unit in accordance with an order with which the correspondence method are to be carried out.
Further, preferably, for a portion of information included in an error message or a related message for which correspondence methods are to be generated or in a reply message to a command carried out previously, which information indicates a position of a specific character string in the error message, the related message or the reply message, a character string in a position designated by the information indicating the position of the error message, the related message or the reply message is substituted to generate a command in accordance with the command format of the fourth data corresponding to a correspondence method displayed on the display unit and selected by the input unit; and an information processing unit to which the generated command is to be transmitted is selected on the basis of information designating a transmission place of a command in the fourth data, and the generated command is transmitted to the selected information processing unit.
Further, preferably, when a correspondence method to be carried out next is present after the command is carried out, the correspondence method to be carried out next is carried out if a reply message to the command is in agreement with information for identifying a reply message to the command in the third data.